There is a constant need for cleansing and disinfecting compositions for use in the health care field, as disinfectants in surgical applications and as decontaminating agents. For example, in the health care field there is a need for cleansers and skin exfoliants, antiviral agents, fungicides and bactericides for the treatment and control of such disorders as acne, athlete's foot and dandruff. There is also a need for topical products to give relief to those suffering from insect stings, poison ivy and poison oak. In the surgical field, a need exists for soaps and impregnated sponges for cleansing and disinfecting the skin of surgeons and patients. A need also exists for disinfectant solutions for cleansing and disinfecting the skin as well as for the disinfecting of surgical instruments. Among household and industrial needs are cleansers, algicides for swimming pools, decontaminating agents for pesticide and chemical spills, and stain and spot removers that may be used on a wide variety of substrates. A particular need exists for sponges impregnated with a cleansing and disinfecting composition, and which can be readily activated merely by the addition of water.
There are many cleansing and disinfecting agents currently in use. However, most of these agents suffer from one or more deficiencies. The deficiencies, one or more of which are exhibited by many currently used cleansing and disinfecting agents, include skin irritation; offensive or irritating odor and inhalation toxicity; corrosiveness toward metal; fabrics and painted surfaces; lack of stability; and low level of efficacy.
The prior art also includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,428, which discloses an aqueous disinfecting composition containing a quaternary ammonium halide, hydrogen peroxide and acetate salts of saturted acyclic amines, which are slightly acidic. Since the aqueous medium must be alkaline, e.g., having a pH equal to or greater than ca. 9.5 before a proton can be extracted from hydrogen peroxide to a significant extent, i.e., approximately half ionized, the compositions in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,428 cannot form the quaternary ammonium hydroperoxide phase-transfer complex which is critical to the instant invention.